July 9, 2013

East Nashville Eats: Marche Artisan Foods

Living in East Tennessee as I do, it doesn't seem that I get to visit the other parts of the state as much as I'd like, including Nashville. That's why when I was invited to tour the Southern Living Idea House at Fontanel a couple weeks ago, I made sure to schedule some additional time for exploring Music City.

One highlight of the trip was spending time in East Nashville, specifically a visit to Marche Artisan Foods for lunch. Marche is a European-style eatery and market serving breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.

My mom and I had been wandering around looking for a lunch spot when we stumbled on it. At first I was convinced Marche was just a market, but I'm so glad we investigated further because we had the most delicious food.

First, we enjoyed some tasty sweet pea and basil soup. Split pea soup has always been a favorite of mine...of course I grew up eating Campbell's Split Pea w/ Ham & Bacon. Now that I don't eat meat, it can be tricky to find vegetarian pea soup unless I make my own. So needless to say, I was excited to try a vegetarian pea soup at Marche!

In addition to the soup, my mom and I shared a chickpea salad sandwich. If you haven't tried it, chickpea salad is really good. It's something of a vegetarian/vegan alternative to chicken salad or pimento cheese. I haven't made it, but there are some great recipes out there (here's one to try if you are interested).

Then it was time for the piece de resistance...sliced peaches and ricotta cheese with honey on whole wheat bread. This sweet summer creation was decadent. I can't wait to recreate it at home. It felt like such a treat and enjoying the meal with my mom was the icing on the cake.

Have you ever been to Marche? The same folks who operate this lovely spot also have a French/Italian restaurant called Margot just around the corner. I'm already scheming for a way to go back to try it as well! Do you frequent East Nashville? What's your favorite East Nashville eatery?